


thank fuck for wasps

by thereisnobearonthisisland



Series: tumblr prompts [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, M/M, Swearing, brief mention of stalking, i guess, this is probably the most tame thing i've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 13:36:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14521713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thereisnobearonthisisland/pseuds/thereisnobearonthisisland
Summary: based (loosely) on a tumblr prompt: dan (looking like he did in the 'what would you do if' video) is chased into a bookshop owned by phil (dressed as he was in the 'wwydi' video).  dan doesn't really enjoy reading, but if doing so means spending a little more time with this strange, beautiful man, he just might give it a go.





	thank fuck for wasps

**Author's Note:**

> one of my tumblr anons sent in a request for dan and phil in a bookstore, looking like they did in the 'what would you do if' video. after three rewrites, this is the result.

It was all the wasp’s fault.  Dan wouldn’t have even been in this bookstore if that fucking wasp hadn’t chased him inside.  He ducked behind another bookshelf, grip tightening on the topmost shelf as he peered up and over to see where it went.  It was nowhere to be found.  Dan couldn’t even hear it buzzing around nearby.  He held his breath, standing up so he could lean over and see if it was resting on the other side of the shelf.  There was nothing there.  He straightened up and let out a slow breath.  Maybe it was finished chasing him around.

He turned to sneak back out of the store before he could be guilted into buying another book he didn’t have time to read but he was stopped in his tracks immediately.  A man stood at the end of the aisle, eyes piercing Dan’s with his arms folded across his chest.  Dan’s eyes went wide as he slowly trailed his eyes up the man’s body. 

He was tall—almost as tall as Dan was, himself—with black skinny jeans that hugged his long legs and a red and black and white plaid shirt that stretched up his torso, short sleeves straining against his flexing biceps.  His adam’s apple jutted out from the middle of his neck, and his bow-shaped lips were curled into a smirk that Dan was half-tempted to stand there and stare at for twenty minutes, and half-tempted to swipe right off this stranger’s face.  His nose was hooked like he’d broken it at some point but it hadn't ever really healed properly, and his eyes glittered back at Dan like two perfectly round gemstones beneath thick, black-rimmed glasses.  He had black hair pushed away from his wide forehead into a semi-quiff, and Dan kind of wanted to card his fingers through it.

This was probably one of the prettiest men Dan had ever seen.

Dan sunk his teeth into his bottom lip as he ran his eyes up and down the man’s body again, settling them on a white badge clipped to his shirt.  It said PHIL, and Dan was tempted to test it on his tongue, but Phil was already raising an eyebrow and Dan didn’t want to make this any weirder than it already was.

Phil cleared his throat.  “Can I...help you with something?”  His voice was low and smooth, and Dan found himself propping his elbow up on the top of the bookshelf, resting his chin on the palm of his hand, and watching as Phil’s pretty lips slid together as he spoke.  He could feel his own eyes glazing over, honing in on that pink mouth.  If he wasn’t a fucking wimp, he’d step forward and connect it with his own mouth.

It wasn’t until Phil waved a hand in front of his face that he realized he’d completely zoned out.  He froze for a moment and then shook his head, feeling a familiar warmth spread over a small patch on his jaw.  

Dropping his eyes to the floor, he said, “Oh.  Uh, I was just looking for a book, but I couldn’t find it.”

Phil dropped his arms.  “What’s the name of it?  I can let you know if I have any in stock.”

Shit.   _Shit._  He wasn’t supposed to _actually_ get roped into buying a book.  “Erm, it’s called,” he paused, wracking his name for the title of literally any book.  The name of one he’d seen on his mother’s coffee table the last time he was home came to mind.  “It’s called _Black Hills_.  I don’t remember who wrote it.  Not really sure what it’s about.  My mum recommended it to me.”  Phil’s eyebrows shot up, and his smirk relaxed into a wide smile.  His tongue pushed out from between his teeth, and Dan’s knees went weak.  It shouldn’t be legal to look that cute.

“You like romance then?”

Dan’s eyes blew wide before he realized Phil was referring to the book.  “Oh.  Yeah, yeah I do,” he lied. 

Phil nodded.  “Well, I don’t have any in stock, but I do have a copy of my own.  I might be willing to lend it to you if you can do a favor for me?”

He looked Dan up and down, and Dan’s whole body flushed with heat.  Phil’s eyes trailed over him slowly, taking in Dan’s equally as long legs and his black YEEZUS t-shirt.  Dan _knew_ that, objectively, he looked good.  He’d put some extra time into styling his curls before he left his flat this morning, and his ripped black jeans had made his best friend Louise whistle the first time he’d tried them on.  Despite this he felt self-conscious all of sudden.  Phil met his eyes again and cocked his head to the side.  “So, what do you say?”

Dan gulped.  “I guess...I guess that depends on what the favor is.”

A giggle tumbled out of Phil’s lips.  A fucking giggle.  Dan was done for.  “I’m sorry!”  Phil hiccupped.  “You just look so nervous.  Don’t be nervous.”  He lost himself to another fit of giggles.

Dan tried to swallow down the chalk it felt like was lining his throat while Phil tried to compose himself.

When Phil finally sobered up, he looked Dan in the eyes and said, “I desperately need a cup of coffee.  Could you just watch the store for ten minutes while I run to the cafe down the street?  I can get you something too if you want.  I just can’t leave the store alone and you’re here, so I just thought—”

“Phil.”

“Oh.  You know my name?”

Dan gestured to the badge on his shirt, not quite meeting him in the eye.  This was by far the most embarrassing moment of his life, and he wasn’t sure if he was more embarrassed for himself or Phil.

“Oh yeah.  I forgot about that.  Well, I guess if you know my name, it’s only fair that you tell me yours.”

“I’m Dan.”  He couldn’t muster up any more words but he offered his hand and a small smile to Phil, who returned both with vigor.  

“Lovely to meet you, Dan.  Would you mind terribly to stay here while I run to get coffee?”

Dan hadn’t meant to agree.  He’d meant to politely decline with a weak excuse and escape through the front door while he had the chance.  This was weird.  It was weird of Phil to ask a complete stranger to look after his store in the first place.  But one look at his blue-green eyes and pouty lips, and the feeling of warmth that both of Phil’s hands wrapped firmly around his brought to Dan left him nodding despite himself.  He couldn’t bring himself to deny a face like that, and he had a pretty good feeling that Phil knew this if the satisfied grin that crossed his face at Dan’s answer was anything to go by.

Phil dropped his hand.  “Awesome!  Here, let me show you the front of the store.”  He waved for Dan to follow him, and Dan was powerless to resist.  With his sneakers dragging across the carpet, he trailed after Phil as they made their way to the front counter.  

Pulling to a stop, Phil gestured to the cash drawer.  “It’s pretty old-fashioned, unfortunately,” he said.  He tapped on a sheet of paper taped to the desk.  “The prices are all here.  If they’re new they’re priced at face-value, but the used section is the most popular, so I set this up.  The drawer’s a little sticky, but to open it, you type in all of the individual prices for the books—just press the plus between each entry—and hit enter.  It’ll pop up with the total on the screen, and you just type in the amount they give you, and the drawer should pop open. 

“If it doesn’t…”  He paused, spinning around to lift up a cactus pot.  Underneath it was a shiny key, and Phil held it up.  “This will open it.  Honestly, I don’t expect there to be any customers while I’m gone, and even if there are some, they probably won’t be ready to check out before I get back.  But if they are, you know what to do now!”

Dan stared at him, open-mouthed.  He talked _a lot_.  “Um, okay,” Dan mumbled.  “I think I can remember that.”

“Great!  Well, if you want to make yourself comfortable on the sofa,” Phil said, gesturing to a blue leather loveseat, “I’ll run upstairs and grab that book for you.  Feel free to start reading in here.”  He gave a little wave before disappearing through a door behind the counter, and Dan watched him go with a gulp.

Deciding it would be easiest to just make himself comfortable while Phil was away, he settled himself onto the sofa, kicking his feet up beside him.  It was comfortable enough.  He tugged down the fuzzy blanket that was hanging over the back of the couch and spread it out over himself.  Phil returned a moment later with a thick book in his hands.   _Fuck._  If Phil was lending it to him, he’d probably want to talk about it when Dan was done.  Maybe he could just say he couldn’t get into it when Phil came back from the cafe.

Phil clutched the book to his chest.  “I don’t meet other men who enjoy romance novels very often.  This is actually one of my favorites.  Take good care of it.”  He passed it over to Dan, holding his gaze as their fingers brushed against each other and smiling warmly.

Dan smiled weakly in return and set it in his lap.  “I’ll do my best.”

Phil gazed at the book longingly for a few more seconds—as if he was literally leaving his newborn child with Dan—and then shook his head.  “I’ll be back in like ten minutes.  Thank you for doing this!”

Dan let out a long sigh as Phil jogged out the door.  Even though he actually had no interest in romance novels or, like, reading in general, he opened the book in his lap.  He might as well read to pass the time.  So long as the wasp didn’t make an appearance while he was here by himself, he supposed he’d be fine.  He wiggled himself deeper into the sofa cushions and started reading.

***

By the time Phil made it back fifteen minutes later, calling out a cheerful hello, Dan had finished the first chapter and his mouth was hanging open in utter shock.

“How’s the reading coming?” Phil asked nonchalantly, setting a cup carrier and a pastry bag on the counter before turning to face Dan.  He pushed his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose.

Dan looked up at him with as much of a glare as he could muster.  “ _Phil!_  You said this was a romance.”

“It is!”

“This guy is a fucking psychopath.  He’s _literally_ stalking this woman.  Don’t tell me they end up together.  I will fucking fight.”

Phil laughed.  “I guess you’ll have to keep reading to find out,” he teased.

Dan groaned and closed the book.

Phil’s wide smile softened into something sweeter.  Something more familiar.  “Do you, uh, want some coffee?”

“Oh…”  Dan looked at the time on his phone and then towards the door.  He didn’t actually have anywhere to be, but this was a chance for him to escape, to say that he didn’t think he could finish this book if it was going to turn into a Stockholm syndrome nightmare, and to slip out the door and never return.  But doing so would mean never getting to see the way Phil’s face lit up when he smiled again.  It would mean never hearing his giggle again or feeling the warmth of his hands against his skin.  Not that any of that was guaranteed if he stuck around.  He just.  Wasn’t sure if he should walk away from this adorable, albeit _strange_ , man.

Phil’s face fell.  “Oh.  I understand if you have to get going.  I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out.  You can.  Um, you can take it with you if you want.  It’s a caramel macchiato.  I didn’t know what you liked, but we like the same kinds of books, so I thought maybe we’d have the same taste in coffee, too.  Sorry if that was presumptuous or—”

Without even consulting his conflicted brain, Dan blurted, “Phil.”

“Yeah?”

“I’d love some coffee.”

A relieved smile wormed its way across Phil’s face, and he turned to wiggle one out of the carrier.  He passed it to Dan.  “It’s still really hot with the sleeve, so be careful.”

Dan felt his red spot growing warm again, and he aimed a small smile up towards Phil.  “Thank you.  Caramel macchiato, right?”

Phil nodded.

“You’re right,” Dan said softly.  “They are my favorite.”

Phil’s face lit up.  Dan thought he could definitely get used to this.  “Well in that case,” Phil said, picking the pastry bag up off of the counter, “do you like scones?  I haven’t eaten yet, so I got a few.  I wouldn’t mind sharing.”

Dan patted the space next to him on the loveseat.  “I’d love one.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for putting up with me :)
> 
> i'm on tumblr at laddyplester
> 
> you can find the tumblr version of this fic [here](https://laddyplester.tumblr.com/post/173560613223/thank-fuck-for-wasps)


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